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Brock University to create world’s first mediated reality consumer lab
Imagine being able to study how your surroundings impact your wine preferences without physically having to be in a vineyard or a retail store.
Researchers at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) will soon be able to use mediated reality technology to answer these kinds of questions in its new R3CL wine lab.
The nearly $1-million facility will be the first virtual, augmented, and sensory reality consumer wine laboratory in the world, allowing researchers to study the impact of sight, sound, and smells on consumer wine choice.
It is part of a larger $2.4-million project that includes the construction of the lab and other state-of-the-art equipment that will greatly enhance CCOVI’s research.
The provincial government’s Ontario Research Fund provided $960,000 of the total funding in January, matching a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grant awarded last October. The remainder of the funding comes from industry partners.
The Honourable Reza Moridi, minister of research, innovation and science, got a sneak-peak at the technology when he made the funding announcement at Brock on Jan. 8, 2018.
Brock University president Gervan Fearon, left, and Ontario Minister of Research, Innovation and Science Reza Moridi, right, listen as Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute director Debbie Inglis explains the virtual reality technology they’re trying out. Moridi was at Brock Monday, Jan. 8 to announce $137 million in funding through the Ontario Research Fund, which includes nearly $1 million to develop a first-of-its-kind sensory lab at Brock.
“Supporting Ontario’s researchers as they make breakthrough discoveries will help advance technology and drive economic growth across the province,” he said. “Making sure they are working in state-of-the-art facilities with the most up-to-date technology will help researchers do their best work and lay the groundwork for new products and services, and economic opportunity for people in Ontario.”
In the lab, participants can be virtually transported from the winery to a dinner party in an instant. Anything from wine bottle shape and label design, to the number of people in the virtual environment, the background music playing and smells wafting around in the air can be manipulated in real-time.
This will allow researchers to better understand what piques a consumer’s interest and later guide the industry in marketing their wines to those potential customers, said Debbie Inglis, CCOVI director.
The funding will also be used to purchase gas and liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry machines that will enable researchers to examine the impact of viticulture treatments that influence the colour, flavour, and aroma of wine.
The enhanced chemical analysis capabilities provided by the equipment will greatly support CCOVI’s TanninAlert. The program tracks tannin levels — which impact bitterness and astringency in wine — with the goal of creating a database that will allow grape growers and winemakers to better understand the tannin levels in Ontario grapes and the differences that occur between varieties and vintages.
From left, Brock University president Gervan Fearon, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute director Debbie Inglis and Ontario Minister of Research, Innovation and Science Reza Moridi. F3015 F3015 F3015 F3015 F3015
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Researchers can better monitor the way climate change is affecting wine Vest
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quality with these machines, as well, and then create solutions to mitigate those impacts. They will be able to study bio-chemicals within the vine that contribute to its cold hardiness and make more informed decisions about which clone and rootstock combinations are best suited for grape growing in our future climate. A state-of-the-art fermentation facility will also be built at CCOVI as part of this investment. Custommade tanks that are individually controlled for heating and cooling will allow researchers to determine ideal conditions for different wine styles and impact during the wineThe only electronic pruning tool in the world with an interchangeable cutting head. The storage cells of the battery have been choosen for their reliability and capacity to deliver intense current. • 120Wh LITHIUM Battery • Weight: 810g • Battery with storage cells protection and management electronic system (BMS) • High storage capacity LITHIUM cells High Power Long Life Intelligent Battery Technology Rapid charging: 90 minutes
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NEW FOR 2016 Vest The F3015 can be fitted with a range of fixed and telescopic extension poles ranging between 1.2m to 3.5m reach of up to 5m above the ground. The pruning shear is controlled by a micro switch housed in a sliding handle on the carbon fibre tube. The shears can be operated by the user with a single cable between the battery and the pole. Trigger control information is directly centralized by an electronic micro-card housed in the pole. The tool’s versatility will be appreciated by users doing large cuts or overhead work. Mobile Control System Innovation: Electronic Micro-Card Housedin the Pole The only electronic pruning tool in the world with an interchangeable cutting head. The storage cells of the battery have been choosen for their reliability and capacity to deliver intense current. • 120Wh LITHIUM Battery • Weight: 810g • Battery with storage cells protection and management electronic system (BMS) • High storage capacity LITHIUM cells High Power Long Life Intelligent Battery Technology Rapid charging: 90 minutes
NEW FOR 2016 ULTRA-COMPACT LITHIUM ION BATTERY The F3015 can be fitted with a range of fixed and telescopic extension poles ranging between 1.2m to 3.5m, giving a cutting reach of up to 5m above the ground. The pruning shear is controlled by a micro switch housed in a sliding handle on the carbon fibre tube. The shears can be operated by the user with a single cable between the battery and the pole. Trigger control information is directly centralized by an electronic micro-card housed in the pole. The tool’s versatility will be appreciated by users doing large cuts or overhead work. Rapid charging: 90 minutes
NEW FOR 2016 The F3015 can be fitted with a range of fixed and telescopic extension poles ranging between 1.2m to 3.5m reach of up to 5m above the ground. The pruning shear is controlled by a micro switch housed in a sliding handle on the carbon The shears can be operated by the user with a single cable between the battery and the pole. Trigger control information is directly centralized by an electronic micro-card housed in the pole. The tool’s versatility will be appreciated by users doing large cuts or overhead work. Mobile Control System Innovation: Electronic Micro-Card Housedin the Pole The only electronic pruning tool in the world with an interchangeable cutting head. The storage cells of the battery have been choosen for their reliability and capacity to deliver intense current. • 120Wh LITHIUM Battery • Weight: 810g • Battery with storage cells protection and management electronic system (BMS) • High storage capacity LITHIUM cells High Power Long Life Intelligent Battery Technology Rapid charging: 90 minutes
NEW FOR 2016 ULTRA-COMPACT LITHIUM ION BATTERY Vest The F3015 can be fitted with a range of fixed and telescopic extension poles ranging between 1.2m to 3.5m, giving a cutting reach of up to 5m above the ground. The pruning shear is controlled by a micro switch housed in a sliding handle on the carbon fibre tube. The shears can be operated by the user with a single cable between the battery and the pole. Trigger control information is directly centralized by an electronic micro-card housed in the pole. The tool’s versatility will be appreciated by users doing large cuts or overhead work. Mobile Control System Innovation: Electronic Micro-Card Housedin the Pole
making process. Mobile Control System
Innovation: Electronic Micro-Card Housedin the Pole
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